2014 National Autism Conference

Registration is now available for the 18th Annual National Autism Conference! It will be held in State College, PA again this year starting Monday, August 4th and ending on Thursday, August 7, 2014. Please see the agenda and website link posted on the bottom of this page for all the conference details! Jon Bailey of Florida State University will open the conference with a poignant story of the importance of systematic approaches to intervention. The conference includes presentations on topics that directly pertain to anyone affected by autism and emphasizes educational approaches that have been validated by research and have been proven effective. Our closing keynote will be a trained physician, behavior analyst, and parent of two children with autism, Dr. Amiris Dipuglia, who has dedicated her life to improving the lives of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and their families. Amiris will share her eye-opening and awe-inspiring personal story.

The conference offers presentations for parents of children who are newly diagnosed with autism and brand new teachers setting up classrooms for the first time as well as for physicians, administrators, higher-education faculty, education professionals, early-intervention staff, behavior analysts, related service personnel, behavioral health providers, and anyone interested in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Other sessions will highlight teacher effectiveness, transition planning and inclusive practices. Strategies for preparing Student Learning Objectives will be embedded in sessions throughout the conference. We host beginner sessions each day including topics such as the basics of effective instruction, teaching students with autism to make requests, teaching children with autism to comply, basic behavior management techniques, increasing speech and communication, classroom setup and classroom management. Advanced sessions will cover topics related to the science and conceptual foundation of effective educational interventions. Other sessions by prominent researchers in the field such as Judah Axe, Eb Blakely, Vince Carbone, Erik Carter, Dave Palmer, Barb Esch, Patrick Friman, Peter Gerhardt, Gregory Hanley, Brian Iwata, Tamara Kasper, Ami Klin, Jose Martinez-Diaz, Amy McGinnis, Chris Skinner, Mark Sundberg, and many more! This conference is a perfect fit for anyone who lives or works with students with autism and has a passion for interventions that have been validated by research.

PATTAN is proud to host this annual conference as we partner for progress with school teams and families with children and young adults with autism. The Wednesday afternoon Poster Session and Art of Expression Exhibit will feature artwork from students with autism around the state and current research and autism practices efforts and outcomes from professionals in the field. Thursday afternoon, our Promising Practices sessions, will give you the opportunity to hear motivated and inspirational instructional leaders from early intervention and school-aged classrooms across the state of Pennsylvania who are doing excellent work for our students! We look forward to seeing you this August!

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